Give It Up to Google

Why have a computer anyway?

Foolish colleague Seth Jayson has told me more than once that Google(NASDAQ:GOOG) is the new Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL). You know what? He's right. The rumor mills attached to both firms are the envy of Hollywood wannabes. That's why, when Reuters reported yesterday that the search king is planning to provide users with infinite storage for files, email, bookmarks, and the like, a whole new round of mania set in.

The service is apparently to be called GDrive, and it was accidentally unveiled in a presentation posted to Google's investor relations site. Management's notes detailed a strategy wherein everything digital will live online, under Google's big tent.

That sounds impressive to me, and I wonder whether Microsoft(NASDAQ:MSFT), Apple, Dell(NASDAQ:DELL), and others ought to be frightened by the prospect. But then I wake up and realize that it'll never happen. A Fool on our Google discussion board explains:

Oh goody, now Google (and eventually the Feds) can examine everybody's hard drive w/o a search warrant. And it's all in one convenient location.

In other words: If this is for real, and it catches fire, Google will know more about you than your Mom does. Doesn't sound so fun now, does it?

The history of technology is filled with stories of disruptive innovations that never were: Object-oriented databases, code-free visual programming, speech recognition systems that actually work, and so on. Each of these breakthroughs and many more like them failed not simply because of the technology, but because customers either weren't ready for them or refused to abandon other ways of working. Google is on the threshold of asking the world to abandon PCs and personal hard drives.

And you know what that means. Who you pay, what you browse, where you shop, and who you talk to -- Google will know it all, forever. Do you really want that? I didn't think so.

Fool contributorTim Beyerswill stick with his G4 PowerBook, thanks. Unless, that is, you've got a brand-spankin' new MacBook Pro for him. You can find out what's in his portfolio by checking Tim's Foolprofile. The Motley Fool has an ironcladdisclosure policy.

Author

Tim Beyers first began writing for the Fool in 2003. Today, he's an analyst for Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. At Fool.com, he covers disruptive ideas in technology and entertainment, though you'll most often find him writing and talking about the business of comics. Find him online at timbeyers.me or send email to tbeyers@fool.com. For more insights, follow Tim on Google+ and Twitter.